Driven by Data Blog

Reporting isn’t always data mining, but knowing what’s in your database can help you develop models of future prospects, whether or not you have the training and software to perform statistical modeling.

Take a look at these ideas to get you started.

Measure those whose giving total is twice or more over last year. Measure pledges and outright gifts, and include in-kind gifts as well. These prospects are raising their hands to indicate increased involvement, and they need to be cultivated more closely, whether you assign them to your major gifts program or to your leadership annual giving program.

Find those who gave stock gifts this year, especially during the volatile market trading in 2015. Whoever gave you a gift of stock should be investigated by your prospect research crew.

Examine those donors who moved up in your recognition levels, especially double jumpers. An indication of increased involvement includes moving up the donor list, especially if one moves from, say, silver to platinum, skipping gold altogether.

Find those whose giving for the year is in the top 10% of all giving for your institution, or are among the top 100 (or 1,000) donors. Who are they? Did you already know about them? If not, take a look.

Build a report of donors who gave through private, family, or community foundations; through private businesses; or through a donor-advised fund. You’ll want to know them and cultivate them.

These short exercises will help you build a new pool of increasingly involved prospects so that your cultivation efforts can be continually adjusted. You can do this. Tweet us @Staupell if you have any questions or ideas.

This blog post first appeared in the APRA Upstate New York newsletter in the summer of 2010.